Grilling meat may increase risk of high blood pressure, says new study

Grilling meat may increase risk of high blood pressure, says new study

A study suggested that food cooked using high-temperature cooking methods might increase the risk of high blood pressure by 17 percent.

A group of researchers sheds light on what makes grilled meat unhealthy, implying that grilling meat at high temperatures could lead to experiencing high blood pressure. This research is a part of a preliminary study that was revealed at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention-Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2018 on Wednesday.

The study that calls grilled meat unhealthy suggests that there is more risk for people who eat beef, chicken and fish prepared at higher temperatures. That includes grilling, barbecuing, broiling and roasting.

“Our findings imply that avoiding the use of open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking methods may help reduce hypertension risk among individuals who consume red meat, chicken or fish regularly,” Gang Liu, lead author of the study and a research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health said as per NBC Today.

“The chemicals created by cooking meats at high temperatures initiate oxidative pressure, irritation and Insulin protection in creature ponders, and these pathways may likewise prompt a raised risk of growing high Blood Pressure,” Liu added, explaining the reason why research on what makes grilled meat unhealthy is necessary so that avoiding these meats can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure by not using “open-fire or potentially high-temperature cooking techniques, including flame broiling, grilling and searing.”

The researchers made this conclusion after tracking 32,925 women from the Nurses’ Health Study; 53,852 women from the Nurses’ Health Study II, and 17,104 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. None of the participants had recorded high blood pressure, diabetes, or the presence of cardiovascular disease and cancer at the start. However, between 12 and 16 years later, there were 37,123 participants who developed high blood pressure.

Researchers, however, added that the findings do not prove cause and effect.

“The people who had the highest risk were grilling 15 times a month — that’s every other day,” Dr. Haitham Ahmed, director of cardiac rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic, said. “For the average American, though, I think if you’re grilling a few times a week, that should be OK as long as you’re being cognizant of the rest of your diet and you’re avoiding the really, really high temperatures for prolonged periods of time.”

Dr. Seth Martin, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine added that the study they conducted doesn’t carry sufficient results for them to make a conclusion. However, their findings are incredibly “eye opening” and are considered “very provocative.”

“To me, it is intuitive that if you grill things and have all the chemicals and the char on it, that could have effects on arteries and lead to higher blood pressure,” Martin said. “But I would worry about it becoming distracting from things that we know make a big difference… when it comes to high blood pressure like diet, exercise and weight loss.”